


Pride and Joy

by Tealc



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Also baby Rayla is cute, Implied!Gren/Amaya, In a killer way, Other, but cute, platonic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-24
Updated: 2018-09-24
Packaged: 2019-07-16 15:08:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16088612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tealc/pseuds/Tealc
Summary: "Prison is so boring," Commander Gren thought. He was tired, his wrists hurt from the chains and his arms ached from holding them above his head. But the worst thing was that there was no one to talk to. He only had one cellmate (or was it corridor-mate, since there weren't any real rooms?) and he was quite possibly the most silent and sullen person he'd ever met - and he'd worked with some.So far all he'd been able to get out of the long-haired elf was that his name was Runaan, and that he wasn't afraid of anything - even death.But still, Gren was determined to get some chatter out of his prison friend- chatting was good for the soul. And in dark magic prison, soul had to be important.----------Or Gren gets bored in prison and decides to share his heart and soul





	Pride and Joy

"Prison is so **_boring_** ," Commander Gren thought. He was tired, his wrists hurt from the chains and his arms ached from holding them above his head. But the worst thing was that there was no one to _talk_ to. He only had one cellmate (or was it corridor-mate, since there weren't any real rooms?) and he was quite possibly the most silent and sullen person he'd ever met - and he'd worked with some.

So far all he'd been able to get out of the long-haired elf was that his name was Runaan, and that he wasn't afraid of anything - even death.

But still, Gren was determined to get some chatter out of his prison friend- chatting was good for the soul. And in dark magic prison, soul had to be important.

"So..." he began, "I don't think I ever introduced myself,"  
The elf didn't even look up.  
"My name's Gren, and Viren called you Runaan, right?  
His prison mate just grunted a kind of faint acknowledgement.

This was going to be harder than he thought. He needed something clever, something witty - something that would break the ice so hard that it might just bash through the Elf's stubbornness.

He needed the elf's attention first, though.  
"Hey, Runaan, you mind if I talk?"  
"What?" said the Elf, confusion drifting over his face - or the tiny portion that was visible behind the wall.  
"Do you mind if I talk?"  
"Could whatever I say possibly make a difference?"  
"Possibly."  
"Then fine, talk away. Just don't disturb me."  
"Isn't it too late for that?" This was good! Dialogue was important - Amaya had taught him that.  
The Elf sighed. "Go on."  
"I'm gonna talk about my favourite moment."  
"Might I ask why?"  
"Because we need to know about each other! We could be spending the rest of our lives in this cell, we should at least be able to have a conversation!"  
The Elf's chains rattled as if he'd put more weight on them. "I am already dead."

Gren could see what lay further down that line of thinking.

"Anyway, my proudest moment was my first proper translating job, when I got promoted to Commander and got assigned to General Amaya. Her other one had been with her since she was about 7, but he got shingles and had to go back to Katolis to heal up. So, I got called in, had a lightning-quick promotion ceremony at the breach, before I had to translate this massive speech that Amaya was giving to the troops before we started our attack.  
Don't get me wrong, I'd done lots of translation before - mostly with injured soldiers that came back from the breach - but on my first day, with those shoes to fill? It was tense.  
Anyway, I translated this huge speech (I won't tell you it all now, it'd be boring), and just as I finished, and all the troops were cheering, she turned to me and gave me this little nod and a smile, and... Well, I've never felt prouder."

Gren smiled. It was a sweet memory, even if it was tainted with the bitterness of him not being able to speak to Amaya anymore.

The chains rattle again - the Elf now peers around the corner, the side of his painted face and a single eye visible.  
"I suppose you want me to tell you mine now." He said, his voice stronger than before.  
"That was kinda the point."  
"Hmph. Fine." He huffed.  
"I suppose it was when my daughter was five." Runaan started.  
"We - me and my husband - had tried to keep away from the more violent side of my life. He's a tinker, so we always tried to keep her more with him and his side of life, you know?  
Anyway, I remember finding her in the garden behind the workshop, holding two of my blades. She could barely lift them - it was sort of cute, apart from the fact that I'd just sharpened them. She was slicing at this Sunfly-"  
"Wait," Gren interjected. "Your proudest moment of your daughter was when she was swinging swords at innocent creatures?"  
"Did you consider letting me finish?"  
"Sorry."  
"Getting back to the story, she nearly hits this Sunfly - and then she gets a good look at it. And she just stopped. And watched it fluttering around the plants. And then she held out one of the blades, with the blade flat-side up. I think that the Sunfly noticed the light and went and landed on top of the blade. And Rayla took it for a tour of the garden, naming all the plants.  
"So you see, my pride wasn't about her swinging her blade at an innocent creature - it was that she recognised the value of life before she took it."  
Gren was confused. "Is that important for an assassin?"  
"Very - knowing the value of life is key to taking it properly and respectfully."

A crash sounded above them.  
"I have something that'll make the filthy creature talk." Resounded the snarling voice of Lord Viren.  
The stomp of Viren's boots grew louder and louder until the figure's dark cape flooded Gren's vision.  
He didn't see much after - a flash of a white hand and the slam of his prison-mate's cell door.

And although he couldn't ignore the terrified screams coming from behind that door, he couldn't help thinking about the fact that he'd made a new prison-friend.

An Elf called Runaan.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed!  
> I planned for this to be a one-shot but I could probably make it a series if you guys want?  
> Also this is my first fic, so criticism is welcomed!


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